


Photographs

by CloversDreams



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst I guess, Break Up, But with a happy ending, Crying, Drinking, Emotional suffering, Established Relationship, Injury, M/M, Mild Language, briefly, realization of feelings after the fact, unfaithfullness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23272279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloversDreams/pseuds/CloversDreams
Summary: The anger on Finral’s face melted into something else entirely. If Zora didn’t know any better he’d say that the guy looked hurt. Not that he had any clue why that was. Finral’s bottom lip trembled as he whimpered, “It really was all just a game to you, huh? People warned me but I didn’t listen. I guess you showed me what a fool I was.”“What the hell are you going on about?” Zora asked. Honestly, he was completely lost. Perhaps a better question would’ve been why the heck did the guy look like he was on the verge of tears. Zora felt like he was missing a very important piece of a puzzle right now.
Relationships: Zora Ideale/Finral Roulacase
Comments: 20
Kudos: 84





	Photographs

Zora stepped out of the bar and onto the sidewalk then stretched lazily. He cracked his neck side to side before he looked around. There weren’t many people out at this time. That was to be expected. He looked up at the twinkling stars above then wondered if he should’ve invited Finral out so he’d have a quick way back to the base. He jolted in surprise when a portal appeared before him and a familiar head of brown hair that was dyed green at the tips appeared. Speak of the devil. That was what one would call perfect timing.

“Of course you’re here,” Finral grumbled through gritted teeth. He stepped all the way through the portal, it closed behind him, and he glared daggers at the redhead.

“I do like to have a good time,” Zora snickered. He frowned at the look Finral was giving him. It might’ve been the alcohol in his system but he honestly couldn’t think of any reason for it. He could usually keep up with the things he’d done to piss people off. Most of them were on purpose, after all. This felt unwarranted. He narrowed his eyes at his squadmate and asked, “What’s with the death glare?”

The anger on Finral’s face melted into something else entirely. If Zora didn’t know any better he’d say that the guy looked hurt. Not that he had any clue why that was. Finral’s bottom lip trembled as he whimpered, “It really was all just a game to you, huh? People warned me but I didn’t listen. I guess you showed me what a fool I was.”

“What the hell are you going on about?” Zora asked. Honestly, he was completely lost. Perhaps a better question would’ve been why the heck did the guy look like he was on the verge of tears. Zora felt like he was missing a very important piece of a puzzle right now.

Finral glared at the redhead as he tossed papers at his feet. He squeezed his hands into fists and bowed his head. His voice was a shaky whisper as he said, “The worst part of it is that I meant every single word. All the little things I did, no matter how trivial, were heartfelt.” He paused and a tear dripped from his eye. It slid all the way down his cheek until there was nowhere else to go then landed upon one of the pages on the ground. “And when I kissed you… I did so without abandon because it meant something to me.”

Zora’s eyes widened. This thing they’d been doing for the better part of a year… it wasn’t anything serious. It was just a passing fad they indulged in. They both knew that. It was their unspoken agreement. Or so he’d thought. Now he stood there in stunned silence with Finral crying before him and all he could do was stare. What the fuck? He had no idea he could feel such an awful pain in his chest. It was way worse than any physical injury he’d ever sustained. The air suddenly felt too thick to breathe and it hurt to even try. He knew he should say something, but he had no idea _what_.

Finral wiped his eyes then held his chin in the air. He had a defiant look on his face as he said, “I was a fool to think I was anything special to you. I see that now. Don’t worry, I won’t make that mistake again.” He turned around and opened another portal then paused to add, “Good luck with your next conquest. Hopefully they’re even dumber than I was so you can really make the most of it.”

“Huh?” Zora asked no one as Finral had already stepped through the portal and shut it. He simply blinked at the spot where the portal had been. He had absolutely no idea what just happened. Well, he did. Finral broke up with him. Not that they were dating in the first place. He broke off their whole squadmates with benefits thing. As for the why… Zora was still very confused about that. There certainly had been quite a few strange accusations sent flying his way.

His gaze fell to the papers on the ground and he was sure they held the answer. He bent down so he could gather and pick them up. Then he stood again and studied them curiously. It was a collection of photographs. Zora immediately noticed that he was the main subject of all of them. He seemed to be in some bar… not that he could tell which one by the pictures. He squinted as he flipped through them. It wasn’t until he came across one where he had a woman in each arm and was laughing loudly that he finally recalled something.

This had been a few nights ago. The bar was serving him drink after drink even though he’d stopped ordering. He wasn’t one to let someone’s generosity go to waste. Zora’s memory of the evening in question was fuzzy at best. Maybe if he looked through the rest of the photos, he’d get a better feel for it. His eyes widened as he watched a very drunk past-him start to make out with complete strangers. Oh. Just because he didn’t _remember_ doing it didn’t make it ok. Fuck.

Zora had seen enough. He tore the photos in half and dropped them into the nearby trashcan. It was true that he made a lot of ill-advised decisions while drunk, but he was sure nothing actually happened that night. He hadn’t slept with anyone else since he and Finral ended up in bed together after a few too many drinks at a squad party. The experience was, hm, enlightening as it were. He hadn’t even realized his attraction to the guy before it happened. Afterwards, it was all he could see.

The next time they ended up in bed together they’d both been completely sober. It was after that when they decided they’d continue doing whatever the heck they were doing. Neither bothered to put a label on it. That just hadn’t seemed necessary. Everything else was history, he supposed. So it was his drinking that started this and at the same time it’d be the end of it. He wasn’t sure if that was ironic or pathetic. Some confusing mix of both. He was nauseated either way.

The point of all this was that he hadn’t _wanted_ to sleep with anyone else since the two of them got together. His time spent with Finral was fulfilling in a way unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Zora didn’t need anyone else if the two of them were together. And yet the guy just assumed the worst. Maybe that said a lot about what Finral thought about him. In that case it was probably for the best. Then why did it feel so awful?

He guessed that if they were supposed to be an item– not that anyone bothered to tell _him_ they were– he shouldn’t have been kissing anyone else, drunk or not. Hadn’t those women kissed him, though? He had the strongest feeling that he hadn’t initiated it. If he could just remember the event properly… ugh. It was no use. He should’ve put a stop to it. The photos were evidence enough that he hadn’t. That made him just as guilty as whoever started it.

Though he was curious about where the photos had even come from in the first place. He wasn’t particularly famous on the squad so why would anyone care to take ‘scandalous’ pictures of him? Something felt off here. He’d have to think about that another time. Right now he felt so sick he needed to lie down on the first bench he saw. He stumbled over his own feet as he meandered down the road. The pain in his chest was horrible. God, he hoped that it’d go away soon.

It really didn’t come as a surprise to Zora that Finral went out of his way to avoid him after that. One would never even know they were on the same squad anymore if he didn’t catch glimpses of the guy opening portals for the other members and taking them through. It might’ve been impressive if it didn’t piss him off so darn much. Zora hadn’t had a chance to talk to the one person he’d gotten used to spending most of his time with and he was irked.

Yeah, he quickly found out that his relationship with Finral had been more than he’d realized. It wasn’t just physical. Sure, it started out that way, but then it evolved into something more. They’d begun spending time together that had nothing to do with sex. Slowly but surely, they’d grown to be really good friends. The transition was so smooth that he hadn’t even noticed.

Zora yawned then scratched idly at his stomach. He looked down at the entrance to the Black Bulls HQ from his perch on a thick tree branch above. He hadn’t been sleeping much this past week. At least not in his room. Not after he realized just how lonely his bedroom was when he was the only one in it.

Sure, he used to complain about the fact that Finral was all clingy and didn’t go back to his own room after they messed around, but Zora hadn’t ever slept better in his life than when Finral was next to him. Not to mention there had been a time or two that he’d woken up and simply watched the guy sleep. His presence was soothing for reasons that Zora never bothered to think about.

At least it had been. Now Zora’s world had this gaping Finral-shaped hole in it that he had absolutely no idea how to deal with. He had a constant ache in his chest that only worsened when he thought about the guy. It was absolutely horrible. He looked at the grass below when he heard a pair of familiar voices.

Vanessa yawned loudly as she stepped out of the building. Grey was right on her heels. The pink-haired woman stretched and said, “Man, I’m exhausted. Finral was crying in my room all night long again.”

“O-oh dear! Is h-he going t-to be alright?” Grey squeaked next to her.

“Time heals all wounds, don’t worry,” Vanessa assured her. She winked then smiled as she added, “I think what he really needs is a rebound to get himself in the mindset of moving on. He’ll be right as rain after a good roll in the sack with a stranger.” She laughed when Grey let out a series of embarrassed sounds.

Zora’s eyes widened. He didn’t hear anything else the pair said to one another. His own pulse was pounding in his ears. He didn’t have any claim on Finral, never did, so why the hell did it piss him off so much to hear something like that? He didn’t have time to dwell on it. There was something he had to do first. Once he tracked down the person that took those pictures and got some real answers, he’d finally have an excuse to talk to Finral again.

He’d better get back to work. Once the girls were gone he hopped out of the tree and headed over to where the brooms were kept. There was a lead he had to follow before the trail got cold. He’d definitely hunt this bastard down and get the answers he deserved.

  
♧ 

“There you are, Finral! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Zora called. He picked up the pace of his stride so that it was almost a jog. What the guy was doing wasting time in the training area behind the HQ for seemingly no reason was beyond him. He didn’t ask. It wasn’t important. He walked right up to the other man and declared, “I solved it. I know what happened that night when those pictures were taken and–”

“Hm?” Finral turned towards him and smiled. “Ah. That doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Oh. Well, uh, good… I guess.” Zora wasn’t sure what else to say. He’d been positive that Finral would want to know. His gaze fell to the guy’s outfit and he blinked a few times. The red shirt looked stunning on him. Zora wasn’t sure he’d ever seen him wear that color before. He looked back up to meet Finral’s gaze and jumped when he noticed the sweet smile on his face. His cheeks started to burn at the mere sight of it. Thank goodness for the mask he wore that made it unnoticeable. Still, it was embarrassing. Zora rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand and muttered, “That color… looks good on you…”

“I’m glad you think so since I’m wearing it because of you,” Finral hummed.

Zora raised a curious eyebrow in his direction and asked, “Meaning what?”

Finral grabbed both of his hands and smiled from ear to ear as he exclaimed, “Dance with me!”

“Dance to what?” Zora asked as he was pulled up against the other man. His hands automatically wormed their way around Finral’s waist.

Finral tilted his head and hummed, “Can’t you hear it?”

“Hear what…?” Zora was mildly concerned at this point.

Finral shut his eyes and began to hum then stepped in time to the song. Zora had no choice but to follow suit if he didn’t want to get his feet stepped on. This certainly wasn’t how he’d expected this meeting to go, but he wasn’t exactly upset about it. Seeing Finral smile again made him feel all warm inside.

The two of them continued to dance in time to a song that only Finral could hear for the next few moments. Eventually Zora stopped and that made Finral look at him curiously. Zora watched the way those alluring purple eyes blinked at him and had an irresistible urge. If bygones were bygones and all that, they were back on good terms again. That meant he could go for it. He put his left hand upon Finral’s cheek and shut his eyes then leaned in for a kiss.

Zora grunted when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. His eyes snapped open and he saw that a wild look shined in those lovely, purple eyes. His own gaze shifted downwards, and he yelped in surprise at the sight of the hilt of a dagger protruding from his own chest.

“Now we match,” Finral laughed. His devious grin stretched across his entire face.

Zora stumbled backwards then collapsed to his hands and knees. His arms trembled with the effort of keeping him propped up. He managed to lift his head and look at Finral. He noticed that the hem of his shirt wasn’t red at all, but white. He looked to the middle of Finral’s chest and saw the hilt of a dagger protruding from it as well. It was the growing blood stain that had seeped into the shirt and dyed it that shade of crimson. How the _fuck_ hadn’t Zora noticed that earlier?

Finral walked right up to him and held his chin in the air. He didn’t even flinch as he pulled the dagger from his own chest. He had a cold look in his eyes as he dropped the blade onto the grass and declared, “Sorry, Zora, but I’ve finally come to my senses. The time we spent together was a mistake.”

“N-no…” Zora tried to respond but ended up coughing up blood instead. When he finally regained control of himself, he wiped his mouth with the back of his right hand and glared at Finral. “You don’t mean that. Not with the happy way your eyes shined while we were together.”

“Actually, I do mean it.” Finral put his foot on Zora’s shoulder and kicked him backwards so he ended up on his back. Then he put his foot against his throat. He applied pressure and spat, “Frankly, you’re beneath me. I see that now.”

Zora bolted upright with a gasp. He took quick, deep breaths and looked around himself in a panic. It was dark. His eyes took a moment to adjust before he finally recognized his surroundings. His room. Was all of that… a nightmare? He looked down when something dripped onto his hand. Had he woken up in a cold sweat? No, that wasn’t it. That liquid dripped from the corners of his eyes. He was crying. Zora squeezed his blanket in both hands until his knuckles turned white and gritted his teeth.

Of all the stupid freaking dreams to get worked up about, this one was by far the most ridiculous. Finral would never treat him like that, no matter how angry he was. He wouldn’t ever _think_ that way, never mind say something so awful. The guy was as sweet as he was ridiculous. He brightened up any room he walked into. Not to mention he was all sorts of hilarious and his smile might’ve been the prettiest thing Zora had ever seen. His lips were soft, and his hair was–

Zora’s eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. Oh shit. Did he really mean all that stuff? The way his heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice grip at the thought of the guy was answer enough. If that was true, then Zora was… he was… He slapped his hands over his mouth. This epiphany of his meant one thing. He’d fucked up even worse than he’d realized. There might not be a way to fix things. He had absolutely no control over the tears that leaked from his eyes and flowed onto his hands.

There was no more time for him to waste following dead ends about those photographs. Zora had to kick some major ass to get to the bottom of this. It had already been nearly three weeks and he wasn’t sure he could take much more of the awful pain in his chest. It hadn’t gotten any better as he’d assumed it would. Especially not since in the few glimpses he’d gotten of Finral lately he noticed one commonality. There wasn’t even a hint of his usual smile upon his face. Zora would never forgive himself for being the cause of a shining light like Finral going dim.

_Frankly, you’re beneath me…_

Zora gritted his teeth and did his best not to dwell on what nightmare-Finral had said. Those words had nothing to do with the real one. Though, he did have every right to feel that way and Zora wouldn’t blame him at all. No. Focus. Now wasn’t the time to feel sorry for himself. He’d finally found what he’d been looking for.

He completely ignored the sign on the door that said some bullshit about knocking. Zora didn’t have time for this. He kicked it open and relished in the shriek from within. Good. That meant the guy was there. No more searching. Zora immediately located the squirrely looking man and grabbed him by the collar. He snarled in the man’s face and spat, “Who hired you to spy on me!”

“I d-don’t know what you mean!”

Zora slammed the man up against the nearest wall with ease. He was running on a mix of adrenaline and rage. Not much could stop him now. He leaned into the man’s personal space and sneered, “You’d better talk, asshole!”

The man shook his head as best he could. “I’ll never tell! Confidentiality is our number one priority here!”

“Wrong answer.” Zora punched a hole into the wall right next to the man’s head. He pulled his fist free slowly so that the guy had extra time to watch the way the bits of wall crumbled. He leaned in close to the whimpering man and growled, “I may be on a Magic Knight squad, but I assure you that I have no problem putting worthless people like you into the ground where they belong. _Tell me_.”

“A pair of rich folks! Noble couple! Man and woman with brown hair, that’s all I know!” The man shrieked.

Absolutely useless information. Zora was about to say just that when his gaze shifted to a newspaper on the nearby table. He released the man and ignored how he scurried away. Zora picked up the paper and read the headline. It was a wedding announcement. Evidently the eldest son of House Vaude was to be wed. The accompanying photo was of a somber looking Finral.

All too suddenly Zora knew exactly what happened. It was Finral’s noble parents all along. They’d hired this jerk so their son would comply with their wish of marrying for family benefit. Probably even paid off the bartender and those girls to stage the whole scene too. Zora cursed his own idiocy. His gaze fell to the end of the article where it said that the wedding would be held this coming weekend. Of course it was. They’d want it to happen as soon as possible so Finral didn’t come to his senses beforehand. He crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside. He felt sick to his stomach. There was no way he could just let this happen. He had to do _something_.

♧ 

Finral forced a smile as the attendants made a big fuss over him while they styled his hair. They were all so happy about the situation they couldn’t stop chattering. That was nice, he supposed. Someone should be happy about an event such as this. He couldn’t really feel anything if he was being honest.

It was a relief when the three of them finally scurried from his room because they’d finished up their task. He looked at his reflection and frowned. They’d done a good job. Even he had to admit that the look suited him. That wasn’t why he made that expression. He could hardly believe things had ended up this way.

He’d been aware of the fact that his feelings for Zora ran deeper than they should’ve. He probably would’ve been better off ending things as soon as he realized he’d fallen for the guy. Sadly, being the romantic he was, he just couldn’t do something like that. It was enough for him to get to spend what time he did with the redhead. He was positive that it was all right if his feelings weren’t reciprocated as long as they had a strong friendship to fall back on.

What a joke.

Tears pooled in his eyes and he frowned at his reflection once more. No, he wouldn’t cry again. He’d spent countless nights doing just that. His poor pillow was probably made of tears at this point. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that right after Vanessa suggested he go out on a date with someone else his parents called with a marriage proposal. That sounded like fate intervening to him. Finral saw no reason not to accept it at the time. Now he wondered if he’d jumped the gun. Perhaps he should’ve taken some time to find himself first. What kind of husband would he be if he was still hung up on his last…

What _had_ Zora even been to him? It didn’t matter anymore. After getting married he’d have to move out of the Black Bulls HQ so he probably wouldn’t see the redhead again. Finral put a hand over his heart. The thought caused it to hurt so much, but it was for the best. It was raw now but it’d fade over time. One day he might even come to believe that.

He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes then straightened his vest. While he felt a bit naked without his squad robe, that didn’t exactly go with the rest of his fancy attire. He’d put it back on later. It wasn’t like he was quitting or anything. He’d just have to manage that and his new life as a husband. It’d take some getting used to, but he was sure he’d figure it all out.

He turned his head towards the door when he heard one of the guards outside of his room shout, “What do you mean there’s trouble at the door? How much trouble can one mage cause?”

“Mage…?” Finral asked softly. Though he knew a bunch of troublesome mages, he hadn’t invited anyone to this particular event.

“Magical attacks are useless, sir!” Another guard shouted. “They come right back at us stronger than when cast!”

Finral’s eyes widened. Impossible. Why now? Why here? Just what was that idiot thinking? He’d get himself killed doing something stupid. Finral hurried out of the room and towards the source of the commotion. When he got outside he was shocked to see Zora on one knee and grinning at the guards as he dared them to try and hit him.

Finral quickly called off the guards and sent them back inside. They left on the condition that they’d be back after they reported the situation to his father. If this guy was still there when they returned, they planned on using lethal force. Finral watched them leave then finally turned towards Zora with a frown. By his estimation that gave the redhead less than ten minutes to get out of there.

“What are you doing here? You can’t just…” Finral looked around to make sure they weren’t being watched. Then he offered Zora his hand and helped him up. He kept his voice soft as he said, “you can’t just crash a wedding!”

“It’s not a wedding, it’s a rehearsal,” Zora corrected him.

“Still!” Finral released his hand as soon as possible then brought his own to his chest and squeezed it into a fist.

Zora frowned at the small yet significant action. His gaze met Finral's and he said, “I needed to see you.”

“Well here I am.” Finral motioned to himself. “You’ve seen me. Now get out of here before the guards come back.”

Zora shook his head. “Not until you hear me out.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Not to mention he didn’t have the strength for this. Finral already felt like sobbing again. This was just cruel. His poor heart couldn’t take much more strain. How was he supposed to move on with his life if things were like this? He shook his head and turned to leave. There wasn’t anything else he had to say on the matter.

“Those photos were all a set up!” Zora exclaimed. “Your parents paid people off to set the scene and hired someone to take pictures so you’d be forced to break up with me and marry who they wanted!”

Finral paused mid-step and his eyes widened. Yeah, that sounded right up his parents’ alley. It didn’t make the situation hurt any less, though. He’d had a lot of time to think about things and he knew for a fact that had the circumstances been reversed there never would’ve been any photos to share. Because he felt so strongly for Zora that it didn’t matter how low his inhibitions became. He’d never do anything that would end up hurting the guy. Like an idiot, he simply cared too much. Maybe it was his ultimate flaw. To care for another that unconditionally was foolish indeed.

Even now the thought of those photos made him want to cry. If he’d been even remotely important to the redhead they never would’ve existed in the first place. Zora simply never felt anything special for him, that’s all there was to it. The truth was harsh but it couldn’t be changed. Finral’s voice was barely above a whisper as he replied, “And how long would it have been until it wasn’t a set up? It was just a matter of time before you grew tired of me and found your entertainment elsewhere.”

Zora looked genuinely surprised as he muttered, “What… that’s not…”

Finral sniffled and fought back tears. Now was not the time. He shook his head then said, “It doesn’t matter. The past can’t be changed. I had fun with you, but things were never going to be anything but that. It’s time for us to wake up and look towards the future.”

A hurt look flashed in Zora’s blue eyes. His brow knitted together and he grumbled, “The future.”

Finral turned his head and nodded. He stared at something in the distance as he explained, “I’ll have a wife and eventually a family and be the Lord of my own house then–”

“Do you even want those things? Weren’t the Black Bulls your family when you had nowhere else to turn?” Zora asked. He shook his head as he sighed, “Or are you just playing the role of the good son to please your awful parents? Hadn’t you already gotten past that? You can’t expect me to believe that you didn’t like living the hectic, carefree lifestyle of a Magic Knight.”

“Not much will have to change.” Finral shrugged.

“Bullshit,” Zora snorted. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

Finral let out an unamused huff. There was no point in arguing with this stubborn guy. Once Zora had an idea in his head he stuck by it. Finral wondered if it wouldn’t be better to just go ahead and walk away. Easier said than done considering his feet seemed like they were glued to the ground. He glanced at the redhead when he heard a sigh.

“I admit this only happened because of my weakness and I regret it more than I can explain,” Zora said. He bowed his head and clenched his hands into fists then declared, “I won’t ever drink again if you’ll just–”

Finral snorted and rolled his eyes. That was so funny he almost wanted to laugh. His tone was as flat as the expression on his face when he muttered, “As if you’d give up one of your greatest pleasures for–”

“I _will_!” Zora exclaimed. “For you!”

Finral’s eyes filled with tears for what felt like the millionth time and his bottom lip trembled. This hurt so much he couldn’t stand it. He’d always been a good person and had no idea what he’d done to deserve the searing pain in his chest that made it hard to breathe. He turned his head and mumbled, “Don’t lie to me, Zora. I’ve heard enough of those to last me a lifetime.” This wasn’t fair. He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to know how to make the pain stop. The only way he could do that was to put it behind him and never look back. “Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s rude to keep a lady waiting, so I have to go.”

“Idiot!” Zora yelled. “Don’t just rush into something like this without thinking it through! Can’t you see how crazy that is?”

“How so? That’s exactly what I did with you. Frankly,” Finral paused and frowned when Zora flinched at his words. He hadn’t even said anything bad. Weird. He didn’t dwell on it and simply continued. “I offered you my everything and you didn’t care. This couldn’t possibly end up hurting me any worse than that did.”

Zora’s mouth opened then closed again. He was left speechless as the words sliced through him like a red-hot knife. He balled his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. Once he finally gathered his thoughts he spat, “Fine. You want to go ahead and marry some woman you don’t even know, have fun. If my feelings for you are that meaningless, then it’s probably for the best anyway. Don’t come crying to me when you wake up one day and realize what a terrible mistake you’ve made, mister noble.”

“What _feelings_? I was just a means for you to pass the time.” Finral felt his voice waver. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back his tears for much longer. He bowed his head and kept his gaze fixed upon the ground as he muttered, “You’re the idiot here. Storming this place after you always acted like I was a thorn in your side when we were together. I’m sure that deep down you’re glad to be rid of me now.”

“You’re wrong.” Zora declared. He waited until purple eyes finally met his own again before he added, “I love you, Finral.”

Finral made a choked noise and hid his face in his hands. This wasn’t fair at all. His chest hurt so much it pained him to breathe. The nerve of this guy just showing up to make him feel like this today of all days. Finral squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. No more. He couldn’t deal with these overwhelming emotions.

“It took me way too long to realize it because I’ve never felt this way about anyone else before, but I know it’s real.” Zora’s voice was uncharacteristically soft and lacked the usual bite. “That’s why I’m willing to do whatever I have to so I can prove it.”

That was it, Finral couldn’t deal. He burst into tears as all of the emotions he’d been keeping at bay exploded outwards at once. He was a blubbering mess as he muttered nonsense about how he couldn’t do this. He shook his head and sobbed, “How am I supposed to marry some stranger when my heart belongs to someone else? I don’t know what to do anymore!”

Finral didn’t pull away when Zora wrapped his arms around him. He simply leaned his forehead against his shoulder and continued to cry. He thought he could hear the redhead muttering something into his hair as he rubbed his back but he couldn’t make it out. Finral balled his right hand into a fist and slammed it against Zora’s chest half-heartedly. “Do you have any idea what you put me through, you big jerk?”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Zora’s voice was strained even though it was a mere whisper.

Finral’s fist opened so that his palm was flat against Zora’s skin instead. He slid his hand around to the back of the redhead’s neck then pulled him closer and whined softly. The arms around him squeezed just a bit tighter and he had to hold back another sob. The sound of dozens of armored footsteps along with shouts caught his attention and he stiffened. He stood upright and looked behind himself with a soft, “Oh no. The guards.”

Zora grabbed Finral’s hand and squeezed as he said, “Let’s make a run for it.”

“We can’t!” Finral shrieked.

“Sure we can!” Zora grinned as he added, “Open us a portal to anywhere. First place that pops into your head.”

“I-I, uhh…” Finral glanced at the approaching guards then back at Zora.

“Hate to rush you but it’s now or never if you don’t want to have to fight our way out!” Zora hoped the excited gleam in his eyes wasn’t too noticeable. This was all a bit of a rush and really got the adrenaline pumping.

Finral held up his hand and a portal appeared. Not a moment later Zora yanked him through it. As soon as they were on the other side he shut it behind them. That was such a spur of the moment thing and he’d been in mid panic so he wasn’t even sure where they’d ended up. Finral looked around and quickly realized the location was familiar. Very familiar, in fact. It was a small pond near the Black Bulls HQ, and also happened to be the place where the two of them shared their first sober kiss. Talk about embarrassing. Maybe Zora hadn’t noticed.

A knowing smirk spread across Zora’s face and he hummed, “Well aren’t you a romantic?”

“If you’re just going to stand there and tease me, I might as well go ba–” Finral gasped when the redhead kissed him in lieu of a verbal response.

Zora broke the kiss and muttered, “Sorry to break it to you, but there’s no way I’m letting you slip through my fingers this time. I love you. I’m going to do everything in my power to show you that from now on.” He immediately claimed Finral’s lips in another heated kiss.

“…owa,” Finral tried to speak but his voice was muffled against the redhead’s lips. He tapped his shoulder to get his attention instead. When Zora pulled away and gave him a curious look Finral smiled from ear to ear and said, “I love you, too.”

Tears filled Zora’s eyes and he sucked his teeth then leaned his forehead against Finral’s shoulder. The arms that wrapped around him were so comforting it was ridiculous. He shook his head and mumbled, “Someone like me doesn’t deserve you at all.”

“Someone like…?” Finral scrunched his face. “Oh you mean someone strong-willed, brave, a bit silly at heart, and who has an admirable sense of both justice and morality?”

“You forgot that I’m also a pretty decent cook,” Zora muttered into his neck.

“I didn’t, I was just about to say that.” Finral smiled to himself as Zora stood upright and looked at him. The warmth he felt in his chest was like something out of a fairy tale. While the road getting here had been a bit rocky, he just knew that choosing to be with the redhead was the right decision. That didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any consequences for their actions. His palms felt clammy at the mere thought of his parents right now. Oh boy.

“What is it?”

“There’s going to be hell to pay for running out on my own wedding like that,” Finral laughed nervously. “My parents are probably furious right now.”

“We can deal with that another time,” Zora snorted. He started to pepper Finral’s cheeks with kisses and smiled when he got a soft chuckle in response. He paused to say, “Hurry and open up a portal to one of our rooms. I need to kiss every last inch of you as soon as humanly possible.”

Finral's cheeks darkened with a happy blush. The consequences of their actions could wait for another time. Right now, the world only consisted of the two of them. He’d never been happier. He smiled from ear to ear as he opened the requested portal.

**Author's Note:**

> Long time no zorafin whats up folks??? Yeah im still on my bs thanks for noticing 
> 
> My last emotional one for this pair involved zora suffering but not finral… guess that wasn’t good enough this time around and they both needed to be in pain. Man im terrible
> 
> I don’t really know what this is… im in a weird place right now so like… yeah 
> 
> Either way I still love this pairing very much and hope theyre both happy right now as they get cuddly under a pile of warm blankets


End file.
